Denver Nuggets Forward Kenneth Faried Ready to Move on If He Can't Get the Minutes He Deserves
Kenneth Faried has just sent an ominous message to the Denver Nuggets. If they don't want to play him, they may as well part ways next season.
During the team's annual media day on Monday, Faried told reporters that he feels that he deserves to start and he doesn't think he's a bench player. He also noted that there are 29 other teams in the league who can use his services if the Nuggets can't give him the minutes he deserves.
"I've seen so much stuff happen in this league. There are 29 other teams. If this team doesn't want or respect me enough to play me the minutes or whatever that I'm going to play or that I deserve to play, then I understand that. There's 29 others. Maybe I go somewhere else and do what I need to do there. At the same time, I'm here in Denver and I'm going to play Manimal basketball no matter what every time I step on the court," Faried said, via BSN Denver.
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Faried has seen a decrease in playing time in the past few seasons, and when the Nuggets acquired All-Star forward Paul Millsap this summer, it became clear that his minutes would continue to drop next season.
Millsap will get the lion's share of minutes at power forward while Nikola Jokić starts at center. But behind those two, the Nuggets have a logjam in the frontcourt with Faried, Mason Plumlee, Darrell Arthur, Juan Hernangómez, Trey Lyles and Tyler Lydon competing for playing time. There's just not enough minutes for all of them.
Faried is known for playing a hard-nosed brand of basketball and he has always given his all when he's on the floor. He should draw some interest in the trade market if he's available because a lot of contenders would love to have a tenacious rebounder and defender like him on their roster.
